Adrian "John" Nichol is a retired Royal Air Force navigator who was shot down and captured during the Gulf War.
He was the youngest of four children, and attended St Joseph's RC Primary School in Chirton, north of the Tyne Tunnel.
He gained seven O-levels, but his results weren't good enough to apply for a Royal Air Force (RAF) apprenticeship.
He eventually joined the RAF in February 1981 as an electronics technician, having worked in a large DIY store since leaving school.
Nichol's first mission, on 17 January 1991, entailed flying as number two to Squadron Leader Paul "Pablo" Mason on an ultra-low-level sortie against Ar Ruma airfield.
During the flight, his Panavia Tornado GR1 ZD791 was critically damaged by a shoulder-launched SA-16 surface-to-air missile, and Nichol and his pilot, John Peters, were captured by Iraqi forces.